Editor Picks: 10 Best American Sitcoms

The sitcom genre, initially consisting of flat characters and laugh tracks, has evolved since its inception, most notably in the previous 30 years. Here to offer some comments on this process through a ranking list of the 10 best is your much-trusted EB editor. So let’s see which sitcoms have most effectively exploited the format and made it uniquely their own.

10Roseanne (1988–1997)

Goodman, John: “Roseanne” series castcredit: American Broadcasting Company

Through the lens of a chaotic blue-collar family (consisting of Dan, Rosanne, Becky, Darlene, and D.J. Connor) headed by a domineering, unapologetic matriarch whose parenting approaches are sometimes questionable, though almost always effective, Roseanne captured and derived humor from the everyday struggles of middle-class suburban families—such as child rearing, making ends meet, and keeping an at times rocky marriage from faltering. Although a sidesplitting comedy, this sitcom never shied away from controversial issues that were traditionally taboo for sitcoms, as it dealt with drug abuse, homosexuality, birth control, and masturbation. From its debut, the show was critically lauded, earned accolades to match, and had a devoted viewership all the way up to its renowned original finale. Roseanne punctured reality in tension-filled scenes and developed unique well-rounded characters who hit home with its audience.

930 Rock (2006–13)

Created, produced, and written by one of Saturday Night Live’s (1975– ) best-known alumni, Tina Fey, 30 Rock takes its viewers behind the scenes of a sketch-comedy show, covering the tendency toward lunacy of its actors, writers, and corporate executives. Liz Lemon (Fey) is continually forced to mediate between her show’s stars (played by Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski) while dealing with the absurd demands of her mentor/boss, the sharp-toothed corporate shark Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), whose strict capitalist conservatism clashes with Lemon’s liberalism. In her efforts to “have it all,” a successful career and a loving family, the overworked, food-loving curmudgeon invents her own sense of normalcy, which at one point includes being married in a Princess Leia dress. This critically acclaimed comedy is infused with irony line after line and owns a self-awareness that often offers commentary on the sitcom genre as well as social concerns in a quirky voice that is completely unique to its creator.

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8Parks and Recreation (2009– )

This ensemble comedy, featuring a comical cast of character actors such as Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, and Rashida Jones, has evolved into one of the smartest comedies to grace the small screen. Each season owns its own flavor as the sitcom experiments and evolves along with its characters, whose unlikely though all-too-ideal relationships provide a constant stream of bubbly hilarity. Based in Pawnee, Indiana, a caricature of the American small town, Leslie Knope (Poehler) and her fellow Parks Department employees roll up their sleeves to make their obese, ignorant, and self-serving community a better place while championing the values of friendship, hard work, and a sense of independence, the latter being best portrayed through the mustachioed libertarian who hates the very government he serves, Ron Swanson (Offerman). Although it nearly errs on the side of being overly idealistic and cheery, Parks and Recreation has earned critical praise for its pointed commentary on various political practices, even when it has at times struggled to find large fan base.

7Arrested Development (2003–06, 2013)

Because of its unparalleled ability to pack multiple jokes (verbal, visual, and self-referential) into single lines, making each episode a comedic gold mine, Arrested Development has evolved into a cult sitcom, allowing it to be resurrected for a much-anticipated fourth season that courageously reinvented the genre by letting the plot unfold through the timely intersection of characters that led to confusion, chaos, and hilarity. The Bluth family, whose reputation has been tarnished because of allegations of embezzlement and (light) treason against the patriarch, struggles to reclaim its former glory, carried predominately by the noble son Michael (Jason Bateman), as they all, in their unique brands of selfishness, fail to face the harsh realities of their actions. The show demonstrates dysfunction at every level, from heavy imbibing to the inability to mimic a chicken. Each member is shown to be utterly disconnected from the world around them, allowing the show to capitalize on their preposterous idiocy, especially in moments that they believe themselves to be sharing heartfelt connections.

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6It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005– )

Following a ballooning narcissist (Glenn Howerton), his alcohol-soused wannabe-actress twin sister (Kaitlin Olson), an unadmitting sexually confused karate enthusiast (Rob McElhenney), an illiterate garbage-loving rat killer (Charlie Day), and an increasingly manic and crude entrepreneur (Danny DeVito), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia unabashedly sets boundaries doused in taboo ablaze. Although underneath the cat-food eating, baby tanning, and “implicating” are poignant insights into prevalent social issues such as gun control, sexual violence, and abortion, the show has remained notoriously unadorned with awards. As owners of the worst dive bar in South Philly, the gang, with unrivaled consistency, issues quotable lines and conjures the most uproarious, albeit profane, scenarios ever to be shown on television. Why this show is repeatedly ignored by awarders and critics, even though it has become one of the longest-running live-action comedy series, this EB editor will never understand.

5Louie (2010– )

Written and directed by comedian Louis C.K. (who also stars), Louie strives with every episode to reveal a life truth that its creator has come to learn from his experiences. This show abandons many of the restraints of the genre, and a consistent form is nonexistent, thus enabling Louie to express himself in any way that seems appropriate, be it through a meditation on a unique character or through a series of vignettes, most of which include scenes of binge eating until Louie is passed out in front of his television. Although the show is namely a comedy, it never shies away from conveying the grittiness of life’s ugly moments. It presents the struggles of being funny, a decent parent, and a desirable counterpart through an unfiltered lens, which often evokes conflicting emotions of humor and depression, a trait that is closely associated with the comic’s stand-up. Through his innovative approach, Louis has elevated the sitcom to an art form as well as himself from simply a comedian to a complex artist.

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4Friends (1994–2004)

Six friends—obsessive neat-freak Monica, facetious neurotic Chandler, eccentric new-wave masseuse Phoebe, dweeby paleontologist Ross, ladies’ man goof Joey, and former high-school queen Rachel—in Greenwich Village, New York, served as the platform for the fusion of the sitcom genre with soap opera drama, which in effect created one of pop-culture’s most treasured shows. As Joey and Chandler came to symbolize the ideal bromance, Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe evolved into surrogate sisters, and Ross and Rachel’s on-again off-again relationship amassed an incomparable intrigue by its viewership, Friends’s success skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. Because the show, with apartment wars and intense break-ups, employed multi-episode-arcing story lines, fans are able to witness and relate to the characters’ evolutions, thus doing away with the prototypical flat character developments of many of the show’s predecessors. This allowed it to become a giant in the sitcom genre and made it a touchstone against which others of the genre will continue to compare themselves.

3Cheers (1982–93)

Revered by professionals as the Holy Grail of television comedy, Cheers begot the series arc that had yet been utilized by sitcom writers. It infused its story lines with romantic drama that both frustrated and intrigued audiences with the legendary Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane (Shelley Long) relationship—a womanizing hound and former Red Sox relief pitcher who falls for a longwinded moralizing graduate-student-turned-barmaid. The tumultuous relationship, supported by some of TV’s most-memorable characters, garnered fans from across the country and laid the foundation for riveting episodes that redefined family and meditated on death and the differences between being alone and being lonely. Although Long only stayed on for 5 of the show’s 11 seasons, the specter of her character lingered in the background as Sam sought happiness and the meaning of his existence, leading to one of the most-viewed series finales in television history.

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2Frasier (1993–2004)

Instead of thriving on an overarching story line, Frasier plays to its strengths: original episodes loaded with situational and verbal irony that are delivered through the clashing of the bombastic eloquence of Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and the monosyllabic though pointed lines of his former cop, blue-collar roommate and father Martin (John Mahoney), a conflict that is supported by Frasier’s equally snooty though more-prudish brother and fellow psychiatrist Niles (David Hyde Pierce), who swoons over his father’s live-in self-proclaimed clairvoyant physical trainer Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves). Whether promulgating psychoanalytic theories to his listeners on his radio show produced by his low-brow single friend and coworker Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin) or sticking his expansive forehead into the business of his family members, Frasier’s elitism clouds his advice, which more often than not combusts in his face, leaving his abounding ego bruised. With such pretentious characters as Frasier and Niles, the writers were able to unleash their vocabularies, creating some of the most-articulate phrases that impeccably captured the ironies of those characters’ perceptions of themselves and, though explicitly highbrow, resonated with audiences from all classes.

1Seinfeld (1989–98)

Yes, as you may have guessed by this point, Seinfeld captures the number one spot in this list. The skillful balancing of Jerry Seinfeld’s (cocreator and star) ear for meter and Larry David’s (cocreator) misanthropic frustrations with everyday life generated an original and nuanced cast of characters that included the duplicitous goof George Costanza (Jason Alexander), the pushy careerist seeking a sponge-worthy mate Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and the gonzo hipster Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). That collaboration also resulted in perfectly crafted lines and monologues, such as George’s at the end of the “Marine Biologist” episode (1994), which can (and should) be argued as the best comedic monologue in sitcom history. Each episode owns an internal logic—fabricated from loosely associated threads that are masterfully woven into an effective quilt of sheer comedy—that contributes to the overall universe of these characters. Neologisms, fake holidays, and bizarre ancillary characters, such as David Puddy (Patrick Warburton), Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller), and the now iconic Soup Nazi (Larry Thomas), have also added to the show’s ubiquitous success and have utterly dominated pop culture, making those who fail to recognize the references the outsiders, a feat accomplished by few others.